Meet Jessica Barton | Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Barton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Balance is one thing being equally weighed against another. Over the past four years Ive had to do alot of self work to find some sort of balance between business owner and wife/mom. There are days I find great success in my color coded schedule and there are others that not even the most well planned day could save me.
In the beginning of building the business hiring anyone was just not in the cards. We opened just 5 months after the economic shutdown due to Covid. Businesses were closing their doors all around us and there was just not room in the budget to add a person to our staff. This meant any hours we were open I was there. Finding balance during this time was difficult because so much of my time was spent running the shop. I most certainly felt the pull from the business but my heart knew my kids needed their mom. My husband who is a firefighter worked 24 hour shifts and so some days it was just me.
After some time my husband and I knew it was time to look for a part time person to help me find that balance I was looking for. I hired someone to work the afternoons which allowed me to pick the kids up from school, do homework and get them to practices. This was a turning point for me and my business. I felt like I could catch my breath at that point.

What should our readers know about your business?
The Refined Table is a home decor, gift and lifestyle store. We are proud to offer our customers a place they can visit to find charming decor or pick up a gift for a friend. Our store has most certainly evolved over time to meet the needs of our customers. In 2020 we opened as a small home decor store, we have now expanded our services to include wedding registry and furniture consultation. We have also expanded on our home and gift lines as well as we doubled our space to include a furniture showroom. Navigating a new business in 2020 during Covids introduction was most certainly a challenge. The industry was consistently evolving and we were always learning new ways to entice customers to shop locally instead of online.
Along the way we learned to always to stay one step ahead and plan for the unexpected. We built our business slowly and conservatively because truly we did not know what the future held. Another looming shutdown was always in the forefront of business owners minds as well as the thought of people just not going back to shopping in person. We continued to be positive about the future of TRT and work really hard to earn our customers trust.
From the beginning we knew our desire was for customers to walk through our doors and immediately feel at home and comfortable. We wanted our shop to feel like an escape from the outside world, and a place where shoppers could come and find the perfect gift for a friend or little vase to adorn their freshly picked florals from their yard. We love getting to know our customers and building those integral relationships that keep them visiting us time after time. Our brand is build by us but our business is built by our relationships with our customers.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting our charming town we would try and squeeze in as much fun as possible. On a Saturday we would start by an easy breakfast and cup of coffee at Jumping Goat Coffee Roasters. It has the most stunning view of Mt. Yonah which is a local attraction all in itself. After lingering for a while we would visit one of the many exquisite wineries in our area. One of our favorites, Limoges Cellars has the most incomparable homemade focaccia on Saturdays, so we would go there first. We certainly don’t want to miss out. Just a skip down the road we would hit up The Cottage Vineyard & Winery to enjoy their views and sample of their delicious wines.
When in the mountains getting outdoors and doing a little hiking is a must. For a challenge we could hike up to Mt. Yonah and for an easier hike we could visit one of the many short hikes to a local waterfall.
After working up an appetite we would enjoy the afternoon eating and shopping on the Cleveland square, (and of course visiting The Refined Table while there.) I would make us a dinner reservation at Clydes Table and Tavern where I would suggest my favorites the cornbread muffins and Five Alarm Wedge. After dinner we could head upstairs to their bar “The Birddog Lounge,” and have one of their yummy seasonal cocktails.
During the summer tubing down the river in Helen and going to Nacoochee Adventures for some exhilarating zipline tours would end the week of fun.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We are so very blessed to be in a community that supports their local retail businesses. During the beginning stages of our business our community chose to purchase from us instead of online. This was still a really uncertain time for business owners because of Covid regulations and people nervous to get out. We are also really fortunate to have a wonderful chamber of commerce in our county that supports and really works to push local businesses.

Website: the.refined.table@gmail.com

Instagram: @the.refined.table

Facebook: @therefinedtable